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Amleto “Mel” Giarolo of Croton-on-Hudson died on Saturday, April 21 at the age of 88 after a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and renal cancer, according to his obituary.
Born in Tarrytown in 1934, Giarolo spent his life following his passion for the game of baseball. After he was honorably discharged from the US Army, he began playing ball with the Lexington Indians, an independent minor league baseball team in the Western Carolina League.
There, he honed his skills, finishing the 1960 season with a .307 batting average and an impressive .455 on-base percentage, his obituary said.
Baseball also formed the circumstances that led to Giarolo meeting his wife, Brenda Owens, as he met her during his time with the team in North Carolina.
After finishing his career in the Minor League, Giarolo attended Ithaca College under the GI Bill and earned a degree in teaching.
He then went on to become a physical education teacher in the Lakeland School District. There, he again followed his love of baseball and began coaching the varsity team at Croton Harmon High School.
In this role, he led the team to a state championship in 1981, according to his obituary.
Giarolo enjoyed coaching his players and often formed close relationships with them, remaining best friends with many of them all throughout his life.
In addition to baseball, Giarolo loved to travel and also spend time with his loved ones. He was also a fixture in Croton-on-Hudson and could often be found fishing or grabbing a coffee and newspaper in the village's stores.
A GoFundMe page was started by a friend of Giarolo's family to help raise money for his funeral expenses. So far, over $1,200 had been raised as of Monday, April 24.
Giarolo is survived by his fiance, Connie Corry; his sister, Amelia “May” Capitanio; his children, Christopher, Jill, and John; and several grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
A visitation service for Giarolo will be held on Friday, April 28 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Holy Name of Mary Church, located in Croton-on-Hudson at 114 Grand St.
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